


The Second Letter

by MrAquaticKitty



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, M/M, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Probably ooc, im sorry, pure angst, take the angst and yeet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 23:14:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20983979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrAquaticKitty/pseuds/MrAquaticKitty
Summary: *sneaks in some angst in the middle of my shitposting*this is probably ooc as shit but i needed to contribute to the holy ship of ferdibert so here pls take the sad gayif you want double angst listen to In a Silver Garden With You while reading lmao





	The Second Letter

**Author's Note:**

> *sneaks in some angst in the middle of my shitposting*
> 
> this is probably ooc as shit but i needed to contribute to the holy ship of ferdibert so here pls take the sad gay
> 
> if you want double angst listen to In a Silver Garden With You while reading lmao

Things weren't supposed to be like this.

He was supposed to be at the Emperor's side, guiding her alongside Hubert at the palace. The professor was supposed to be there too, alongside their old classmates, leading a new Fodlan to peace. Seteth and Flayn would be there somewhere, living a quiet life in the shadows of the Empire.

When he first joined the professor's class, he didn't think too hard on it. Sure, he was no longer surrounded by his previous classmates that were dear to him, but they were still his friends. He would still see Hubert and Edelgard and the others, just not as frequently as he used to. He had gotten to know the professor pretty well and he gotten to know the Golden Deer pretty well, so really, it wasn't that big of a deal. He was always happy to learn new things and make new friends anyways. Claude, although a bit strange, was a great tactician. Ferdinand had nothing to fear.

So why did things have to turn out like this?

Why did he have to be at Embarr, shakily holding a letter he couldn't bring himself to read?

Ferdinand never wanted to go against the Empire. Never in a million years would he ever dream of turning against the place he had loved so, so much. But those were his orders, and he couldn't bring himself to disobey. He had good friends in the Alliance, yes, but they did not hold the same sentiment that those he held close to his heart in the Empire did. Multiple times he thought about betraying the Alliance; returning to his Emperor and beloved despite his devotion to the Alliance and their leader Claude. To leave behind those he had been acquainted with and return to the place he had left his heart which wanted nothing more than to throw down his lance and collapse into his beloved's arms. But orders were orders, and he couldn't disobey them; if he did, he would have nowhere to go at this point. The Empire was falling and his title had been burned away. The only future for Ferdinand was one within the Alliance, with the ones he had loved so dearly dead and gone to the wind. With those he loved and treasured being painted was ruthless murderers in the future's history books.

It hurt so, so much.

The others had tried reaching out to him, offering a shoulder to cry on, but Ferdinand just smiled and insisted he was alright. He still had traces of optimism and hope within his heart, but his smiles failed to reach his eyes. He had hope, but it seemed to now be born out of desperation rather than his faith in the future.

His heart was already broken by the time he received the news about Hubert's death. Claude almost didn't tell him. He didn't think he had the heart to do so. The professor convinced him otherwise, as keeping this information from Ferdinand seemed cruel. He felt even worse when the letters were given. Judith had reported to Claude that an imperial general handed her two letters written by Hubert. One addressed to the Alliance, and one addressed to Ferdinand. Claude was always one for snooping around, but he felt as though the goddess herself would strike him down if he held the letter addressed to Ferdinand for too long. Briefly he had considered giving it to him after the war ended, but the professor had once again convinced him otherwise. Ferdinand needed to see this now, she had suggested. It would be cruel to withhold it from the person who was suffering so, so much. Claude reluctantly agreed. After telling the Alliance of the contents of the letter and their change of plans, he would give the other one to Ferdinand.

After the meeting about Hubert's letter, Claude waited a bit. Predictably, Ferdinand stayed after everyone else left, staring off into the distance with an empty smile. He was trying so hard to hold it together.

"Ferdinand, I know this is difficult for you, but..." Claude had gently said, gripping the letter in his hand. "This was addressed to you. Its from Hubert." Ferdinand's eyes widened for a brief moment, tears welling in his eyes. "Here's, uh, Hubert's first letter as well," Claude handed him both the letter addressed to them all and the one addressed to Ferdinand. "I know he meant a lot to you, even if he was our enemy."

Ferdinand nodded, taking the letters shakily. "Thank you, Claude." He said gently. Claude nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. After a moment of silence, he walked away, leaving Ferdinand alone with the letters.

The moment he was alone, Ferdinand fell to his knees.

Hubert had written him something before his inevitable death. He knew he was going to die in Embarr. He knew his fate and accepted it, writing Ferdinand one last farewell. He wonders if his heart had hurt as much as his own. With hesitation, he opened the letter. 

He wished he hadn't.

"Dearest Ferdinand, if you are reading this then you must be aware of the passing of Her Majesty and I.  
It pains me to write this, but I feel as though that you deserve some kind of closure assuming we did not cross each other on the battlefield. In that case, I can only hope that you did so without regret.  
I do not regret my path. No matter what was to transpire, I would aid Her Majesty until the end even if that meant carving a ruthless, bloodied path for her. In that regard, I regret nothing. That being said...I suppose I do wish that we had become better friends back in our academy days. Perhaps you wouldn't have left and betrayed the Empire had I put aside my initial view of you and took time to get closer. You would've served the Empire well with your endless optimism and impressive strength. The Empire needed someone like you desperately, lifting moral and pushing those towards goals that seemed unlikely. A general as beautiful and radiant as you could've aided in turning the tides of war in our favor. Years ago you had told me that if I were to compliment you that I must do so in writing. Well then, you have gotten your wish.  
I am aware that you are a sensitive one. I believe that anyone who has had the pleasure of being remotely close to you can tell you that. Knowing that, I can already picture the tears on your face as Claude hands you this. And to that I must apologize. You must know I am not one for condolences or anything of the like, so I sincerely apologize if my words seem to blunt for you. Hopefully this can make it up for you. I am so, very sorry I was not able to give this to you earlier.

Farewell, Ferdinand.

-Hubert."

Inside the envelope was a gold ring, and Ferdinand felt himself finally let go, erupting in tears as he held the letter and ring close to his heart.

Perhaps one day the two could be reunited, ruling over their own Empire together without a care in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I recruited Ferdinand on GD(he was my dancer) and when the letter scene happened i couldnt stop thinking about how broken ferdinand mustve felt during the whole thing
> 
> so
> 
> yeet!
> 
> back to shitposting i go~


End file.
